The Official Blog for The Moontower Comedy and Oddity Festival

Tag Archives: Cap City Comedy Club

I guess even game show hosts need some time away from the excitement of Plinko and the Showcase Showdown to get back to their roots as touring road comics. And fortunately for us, Austin is along the bus route.

Drew Carey is visiting Austin for a two-night engagement at Cap City this Thursday and Friday. Yep, that Drew Carey.

It’s always a blast when these larger-than-life comedy figures show up at Cap City to show off their stand up chops.

You may know that Carey got his start in stand up on Star Search after winning a few open mic nights in his hometown of Cleveland, OH. Soon he was appearing on Carson’s Tonight Show and Letterman’s Late Night. Then it was on to the big time.

The Drew Carey Show still holds up as a decently written Midwest slice-of-life sitcom that made him a household name and showcased the talents of his entire cast. He hosted the American version of Whose Line is It Anyway? for frickin’ nine years, which made him one of the highest paid comedians in the business.

Afterward, he turned out to be the perfect choice as Bob Barker’s replacement on The Price is Right, giving the show a playful new energy that it lacked for approximately a decade. Carey is way funnier (and way less skeezy) than Barker, and the institution of morning merriment continues to churn on.

He’s clearly comfortable on any stage on which he appears and it’ll be a delight to see his crew cut and his giant bespectacled smile light up the Cap City lounge.

Tickets are already selling out, which is to be expected. So act quick and don’t miss out on this special event. It could all be yours…

You already love Andy Kindler, so I don’t even need to tell you about how great he is.

I don’t have to tell you about how smart he is or about how frickin’ hilarious it is when he gets on stage and just GOES for a while. Or how important he is to the current comedy scene, how his commentary is frank and fearless and necessary.

Kindler is a critic, a dissenter and a misanthrope who isn’t afraid to call other comedians out on their schtick because he’s just as harsh and open about his own material.

It’s rare you find a performer as willing to be honest and in-the-moment under a spotlight.

Wednesday night marks Andy Kindler’s return to Austin for a weekend at Cap City Comedy Club.

His last performances here were during the Moontower Comedy & Oddity Festival, where he appeared on Greg Fitzsimmons’ Fitzdog podcast and played with some of our favorites like Jackie Kashian, Janine Brito, Brendon Walsh and John Ramsey.

Every show this weekend is guaranteed to be unique, with as many impromptu self-deprecating monologues as rehearsed punchlines. So come every night. You could learn something about comedy. Or just laugh your ass off.

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Shows at Cap City run Wednesday – Saturday at 8pm, with 10:30 shows added to Friday and Saturday as well.

After a toothsome six-week battle of wits at Cap City Comedy Club, a victor has emerged above the more than 200 contenders in this year’s Funniest Person in Austin contest.

In its 28th year, the annual marathon of mirth-making once again brought in every level of comedy talent possible, from the novice stand-up noobs to the gnarled punchline vets. (And don’t forget the occasional residents of Batshit Crazytown that use the contest as a stage for their always delightful rantings!)

This year, however, a new element of chance was included in the contest, courtesy of ( sadly departed) Comedy 102.7FM. Every night, in addition to the 3 judge-selected comedians advancing to the semi-finals, an alternate comedian was chosen to enter the Fan Favorite contest for audience members to vote for online. This Fan Favorite would skip the semi-finals and advance directly into the finals.

Ultimately, Sean Mooney was the lucky Fan Favorite elected by the people to join the other 12 comics that made it through the traditional semi-final rounds: Derek Phelps, Amber Bixby, Mac Blake, Ryan Cownie, David McQuary, Cody Hustak, Maggie Maye, Luke McClory, Duncan Carson, Bob Khosravi, Chance Royce, and last year’s runner-up, the very talented Chris Cubas.

The new FPIA for 2013 dons his crown and robe

In the end, the final results played out as such:

3rd Place: Cody Hustak

2nd Place: Chris Cubas

and 2013’s Funniest Person in Austin: Mac Blake

Congrats to all of this year’s finalists, semi-finalists and alternates. It proved again to be another unpredictable year of surprises for Austin comedy, with a new victor to claim the title. And with Comedy 102.7 radio now defunct, who even knows what else is going to happen NEXT YEAR?

Get back to practicing your sets, y’all! There’s an open mic somewhere in town tonight…

As in years past, we are anticipating heavy interests in our comedy contest from national industry including Comedy Central, Mosaic, Funny or Die, Ferguson, Kilborn, various casting agents, club & festival bookers to name a few. Our goal is to put our best talent in front of “movers and shakers” in the business! We’re proud that the Funniest Person in Austin contest has become a national beacon for Austin comedy.

The contest draws in everyone from seasoned comedic vets to rookies- some of whom have never even performed in front of a live audience. Needless to say, it’s a guaranteed good time! Along with $5000.00 in cash prizes, the contest also offers the chance for our local artists to showcase live in front of representatives from Comedy Central, International Artists
Agency, club & festival bookers, and TV Talent executives during the Semi-Finals & Final nights.

Lastly, F.P.I.A. rallies around two worthy organizations – Austin Children Shelter & Capital Area Food Bank. (For the year 2011, Cap City donated over $2000.00 to Austin’s Children shelter from Open Mic Night & FPIA!) We encourage family and friends to come out and support comedy and these organizations. $1 of every ticket sold at the contest will go to Austin Children Shelter. Bring two cans of food for the food bank and get in free during the preliminary rounds. F.P.I.A. contest nights are great nights of fun and benefit our community.” Click here to download the full lineup.

Comedian Matt Bearden’s artfully curated Punch! show at the Cap City Comedy Club on Tuesday nights is the immensely popular and relentlessly ‘all killer and no filler’ ground zero for comedy connoisseurs to catch the cream of local and visiting stand-ups (with all deference to vegans and the lactose intolerant… well not so much the uppity ones). Since the 27th Annual “Funniest Person in Austin” contest will soon begin prelims, March 27th will be the season finale of Punch! until it returns on May 15th. Comedians John Ramsey, Kerri Lendo, and Mac Blake are already booked. The show starts at 8pm and is still just $5, bucko!